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;pecialize
Regular Nightly Trunk Services Between Hull and Glasgow have Grown from a Business Which Started in 1933 and Now Operates 20 Vehicles
By G. Duncan Jewe
SPECIALIZAT1ON is a sure road to success in many walks of life. This is well illustrated by the experience of Hull and Glasgow Road Carriers, Ltd., who for 25 years have operated trunk services between the two cities.
Starting in business in 1933 as a clearing house at Pier Street, Hull, Mr. J. L. Dunn, managing director, now operates eight trunk vehicles each way nightly, with coll&tion and delivery vehicles at each end to ensure time-table turn-round.
Local operation, both at Hull and Glasgow, is radio-controlled. Earlymorning delivery is guaranteed for all goods collected the previous day. The fleet consists of 15 A-licensed vehicles, one under contract-A to the Distillers Co., Ltd., Hull, four under B licence and three spare.
_ Little Sub-contracting
• Most of the vehicles are of Seddon or Albion make and none is more than five years old. In Hull a mechanical horse and three semi-trailers assist in dock work, and the normal policy is not to sub-contract, except for goods onwards from Hull to the south and from Glasgow to all destinations in Scotland.
One of the reasons for this rule is that most of the traffic is " smalls " and in part-loads. in 1959, the average was 1,100 consignments a month, 90 per cent. of which were below 3 tons. Average vehicle earnings during the last six months of the year were £150 weekly.
Business is continually expanding, and more than 80 new customers have been put on the books since 1957. Gross turnover for July-December, 1959, was £47,547, compared with £36,847 for the same period in 1958.
Total consignments in the second half of 1959 numbered 11,528, as against 7,238 in the comparable period of 1958, an increase of 4,290. An analysis of consignments during October, 1959, showed that 45 per cent, were under 5 cwt., 29 per cent. between 5 cwt. and 1 ton, and 17 per cent. between 1-3 tons.
Vehicles recently acquired are working to capacity and the turnover for March, e22 1960. was well over £10,000. Even during February, with the dock strike, it reached £8,600. The total carrying capacity of the present fleet is approximately 150 tons, and incrudes an eight-wheeler purchased specially to deal with 16-ton loads for companies such as the Reckitts concern.
An application has been granted by the Yorkshire Licensing Authority for an additional eight-wheeler on A licence to keep the balance of vehicles on the trunk service. The vehicle is being exchanged for two four-wheelers which will be kept as spares. A recent innovation is HullCarlisle delivery en route to Glasgow, goods being dropped off at the all-night depot of Robson's Border Transport, who are responsible for local delivery.
The trunk vehicles operate non-stop from Sunday night to Saturday morning of each week, and average 80,000 miles a year. Vehicles of 12-ton carrying capacity earn an average of £66 per trip and 8-tonners £44. Trips average three one week and two the next, and economic operation requires a payload of not less than 7 tons. Because of this heavy programme, each vehicle is completely stripped and overhauled every 12 months. Three full-time fitters are employed, and there are fortnightly servicings, including pressure greasing and steam cleansing: The result is trouble-free operation except for the occasional accident, Bodywork and painting arc let out to a Beverley company.
Mr. Dunn praises Goodyear 3T nylon giant tyres, which, fitted to a new Commer, ran a full year without trouble or change. Most of the fleet is now using these covers, which are to be standard equipment.
Radio control of collection and delivery has played a big part in increasing efficiency. Pye transmitters have been installed at both Hull and Glasgow, and two-way sets are fitted in all vehicles. In Hull, where the equipment has a 15-mile radius, it is used mainly for dock work and as far out as Beverley, but in Scotland, where the collection and delivery area is continually expanding, the aerial is situated on high ground at Cathkin Braes and messages are relayed by land line to the Glasgow depot at Kennedy Street, giving a radius of 40 miles.
The service given to customers has been such that there has been little difficulty with rates. Although .British Railways, when they acquired price freedom, cut butter rates to 10s. a ton beloW road rates from Hull docks to Glasgow, they were unable to provide the requisite delivery and little traffic was lost.
One company, the City Engraving Co., Ltd., use the trunk service to carry cartons of type between the two cities. By collecting these parcels at the Hull and Glasgow depots, they achieve a quicker service than by passenger train.
The Hull depot at Clarence Street is the ex-Holdsworth and Hanson base, which was specially built as haulage premises just before the war. It covers an area of 1,980 sq. yd. with a 104-ft. frontage in Clarence Street and access to Witham with a further frontage of 67 ft. Electrically operated roller-shutter doors give 20-25 ft. headroom.
The concrete loading banks can take three vehicles at a time, and, in addition to the main building, there are workshops and yard space. The office block is centrally heated and overlooks the loading bays.
A 2-ton travelling crane is available for heavy loads, and there is bulk storage for diesel and lubricating oil.
Attractive Conditions
Of 45 employees, 35 are drivers and there is a pension scheme, with death benefits, based on that recommended by the road haulage Association. Drivers also receive a 3f per cent, annual bonus on their gross wages.
Mechanized accountancy is employed in the office with satisfactory results in speeding up invoicing and checking accounts. The Glasgow manager, Mr. John McKenzie, has been with the company 22 years and employs a foreman and eight shunt drivers.
Kennedy Street depot has a loading bay capable of accommodating an eightwheeler, and in addition to collection and delivery and time-table turn-round of trunk vehicles, deals with running repairs.
From the beginning the company's emphasis was on traffic between Hull and Glasgow, and at the introduction of the 1933 Act Mr. Dunn was able to claim tonnage for two vehicles which were employed on the Scottish service.
The company were successful in their first A-licence application for an additional vehicle in 1936, despite objections and an appeal by thc railways, and from that date continued with a three-vehicle service to Glasgow until the imposition of the 60-mile radius during the war.
Two additional vehicles were required under permit while operating for the Ministry of War Transport. and after the removal of restriction, all five returned to the Scottish service. The original depot at Commercial Road, Hull, had been " blitzed " and premises were rented at Springbank West.
The business expanded, and a further move was made to Cambridge Street, but nationalization called a halt and the British Transport Commission took over the seven vehicles then operated by the company. Mr. Dunn became depot superintendent at Hodgson Street, Hull.
After 18 months he decided to return to private enterprise, resigned from B.R.S. and purchased a wholesale and retail sweets and tobacco business. This venture proved a success, and by 1954 five retail shops were open in the Hull district in addition to manufacturing and wholesale departments.
But in June of that year, the urge to return to haulage proved irresistible and Mr. Dunn purchased two special-A licensed four-wheelers and restarted a Hull-Glasgow service. Old and new customers quickly gathered around, and
four additional special-A vehicles were acquired, while his other interests were put into the market and gradually disposed of.
After denationalization, B.R.S. were unable to provide a comparable Scottish service and the company quickly established almost a monopoly. With an extremely efficient fleet Mr. Dunn has the proud record of never having had a conviction recorded against the company. The trunk route of 243 miles between Hull and Glasgow can be covered in 9+ hours driving time, while men employed on shunting operations average nine hours work a day.